About
Bijou Noir (pron. BEE-zhoo nw-are if your French is rusty) is the alt-pop project founded by singer-songwriter Augustus Watkins. Characterized by moody electro productions, big choruses, and deft songcraft, Bijou Noir is a genre-defying mix of intelligent pop, post-punk, electronic, and alternative rock, with lyrics that explore complex themes with an emphasis on self-expression, empathy, and the interplay between the macro and the micro.
Watkins and Bijou Noir have opened for and shared stages with the likes of Lizzo, Polica, Trampled by Turtles, and Communist Daughter. Originally from Minneapolis, Bijou Noir is currently based in Los Angeles.
In Wild Wonders (from label GIVE/TAKE) Bijou Noir shares five songs of reformation and joyfully defying the status quo. The EP’s polished production serves to highlight a string of audacious, vulnerable, and affecting tunes. An impeccable mix of live and programmed drums, summery synths, electric guitar, piano, and more accompany Watkins’ signature electric ukulele and vibrato-tinged vocals.
Alt-pop at its core, Wild Wonders brings a wealth of influence from the bluesy/post-punk vibes of “The Charade” to the retro-pop feel of Linn- Drum programming on “Enough Cold For A Lifetime” to the soaring arena-ready atmospherics of “Wild Wonders” to the confessional closer “I Need Rescue.”
Music
Wild Wonders (EP, 2023)
"Vulnerable yet accessible.... Songwriting at its finest." - Ryan Martin, Jammerzine
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That's No Life (Single, 2023)
Full of emotion with a maturity and focus I hadn’t heard before. I can’t get enough! Is it emo? Fuck yeah it is. But not of the Hot Topic variety. RIYL Ben Gibbard singing Shakespear’s Sister or if you’ve finally decided to fully take the reins of your own goddamn life and break away from the you that was holding you back! - Barb Abney
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Enough Cold For A Lifetime (Single, 2023)
With its airy and vintage production, "Enough Cold For A Lifetime" could almost lull you into a false sense of warmth — until its breakdown, where Augustus Watkins' wintry vocals pierce the clouds enough to induce exposure. There’s undeniable growth and maturity here, from the full band arrangement and sure-footed production, to the evocative lyricism, anchored as always by Watkins' peerless vocals.
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Cruel Trick (Vibe Check Mix) (Single, 2022)
The breakout song from "We Are Alone Together" gets reimagined for the This Is Deathpop compilation. Stripped-back, moodier, and maybe a little sexier.
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Cold Winter (Single, 2022)
A goth-tinged single featuring numbing bass, the bleakest of drum hits, frigid synths and cutting vocals.
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Soul Application (Bijou Noir Mix) (Single, 2021)
A riotious reinterpretation of Double Diamond Sun Body's extaordinary art pop.
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Expatriarch (Full-length album, 2021)
Bijou Noir's second LP was written while songwriter Augustus Watkins was living out of a suitcase, often in extreme isolation, moving from country to country, watching from afar as his home country of America reeled from the 2016 presidential election and then reckoned with itself during #MeToo. Watkins re-examines his own identity, privilege, and uncertain future.
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Alone Together (Single, 2020)
For Bijou Noir, “alone together” was a theme long before the pandemic. We Are Alone Together was the title of their 2018 album, and it reflected upon themes of long winters, strained connections, and isolation.
The new arrangement polishes off some of the original's abrasive edges and replaces them with propulsive, melodic flourishes, anchored by Bijou Noir’s electric ukulele and catchy vocal harmonies.
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Tomorrow Never Knows (Single, 2020)
A commanding psych-rock rendition of The Beatles' "Tomorrow Never Knows"
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We Are Alone Together Instrumentals (Full-length album, 2019)
Instrumental versions of Bijou Noir's debut full-length album
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We Are Alone Together (Full-length album, 2018)
Bijou Noir's vivid debut LP We Are Alone Together is a savvy collection of pop songs that probe tectonic fractures in identity, spirituality, fidelity, and loss in the 21st century. We Are Alone Together is equal parts elegant and world-weary.
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Videos
That's No Life - Official Video (2023)
Enough Cold For a Lifetime - Visual (2023)
I Turned Into A River - Music Video (2021)
The Spine in Your Back - Music Video (2018)
Do This to Me - Music Video (2018)
Drinking Your Words - Music Video (2015)
Live
Press
"Vulnerable yet accessible.... Songwriting at its finest." - Ryan Martin, Jammerzine
"Full of emotion with a maturity and focus I hadn’t heard before. I can’t get enough! Is it emo? Fuck yeah it is. But not of the Hot Topic variety. RIYL Ben Gibbard singing Shakespear’s Sister or if you’ve finally decided to fully take the reins of your own goddamn life and break away from the you that was holding you back!" - Barb Abney, on "That's No Life"
"Incredibly catchy and complex." - Minnesota Public Radio
"Living through [Minnesota] winters can inspire songs like this. So it's not all bad, is it?" - Colin Mansfield on "Enough Cold For A Lifetime"
"Transcendent" - Misfit City
"Commanding" - Beehive Candy
"I hear some pretty nifty, fuzzy electronics and high-pitched vocals and tons and tons of melody... I like it." - Jon Hunt, l'étoile magazine
"Funk element is simple yet strong, soulful high tone to it snuggle up with full of sex appeal. I feel even some atmosphere meaning blue eyed soul... There is a coolness that does not say whether or not. Nothing is wasted!" - Hi-Hi-Woopee (translated from the original Japanese)
"The songs are well crafted, insightful, thought-provoking, and downright enjoyable... An incredible break-out album." - Indie Voice Blog
"Ominous." - Gimme Noise
"Among the most innovative acts in EDM." - Noiseporn
"The spiritual offspring of NIN." - 4ZZZ
"Stunning dark-pop" - Cyn Collins
"Gloomy, dark, enigmatic." - Gimme Noise
Contact
- Email (including booking)
- augustus@bijounoir.co
- Website
- bijounoir.co
- @bijounoirmusic
- @bijounoirmusic